Known ionization-type smoke detectors include spaced apart ionization source, sensing electrode, active chamber closed by an exterior electrode. Spaces or openings are usually provided to facilitate the inflow and outflow of airborne smoke which can be detected in the active chamber. A high impedance circuit is usually coupled to the sensing electrode.
While known detectors are effective for sensing airborne smoke, they require a number of manufacturing steps given the number of required parts. It would be preferable if the parts of the detector could be configured such that the number of manufacturing steps could be reduced. This will in turn improve manufacturability and reduce cost. Additionally, it would be desirable if at least some of the parts could be snap-fit together to reduce the number of soldering steps needed to assemble a detector.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.